Our founding fathers never meant for there to be a "politician" class in the first place. Rather citizens putting their private lives on hold for a short period of time to "serve" the Republic.
But here we are, stuck with "politicians" we put in office and the Fit is about to hit the Shan. Listen to the sheeple whine about 2 weeks from now!
If services like veteran benefits and social security see any cuts they will do more than whine. They will absolutely demand those services restored and do so by huge majorities. If that happens the Republicans will have public opinion so stacked against them that even some of the best conservatives will cave. This is the bind we are in. The sad fact is what passes for the American public right now does not actually want large cuts to entitlements, transfer payments or social programs. We can try to do the right thing an defy that public opinion, but there will be a massive price to pay. It is probably worth it to rebuild our brand, but it could guarantee Hussein's re-election.